Transgender Day of Visibility rallies held amid backlash

Thousands of people rallied across the country Friday as part of a Transgender Day of Visibility in support of the rights of transgender people and their resilience amid what many denounced as an increasingly hostile environment.

Thousands of people rallied across the country Friday as part of a Transgender Day of Visibility in support of the rights of transgender people and their resilience amid what many denounced as an increasingly hostile environment.

Supporters converged on statehouses nationwide, at the Capitol Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C., and were planned as far away as Mexico City to mark a day of international unity first proclaimed more than a decade ago.

Chanting, "We're here, we're queer, get used to it!" many at the statehouse in Montpelier, Vt., draped themselves in pride flags or carried posters with messages like "yay gay" or "protect trans kids."

Transgender youth stood in front of the Vermont crowd and spoke movingly of the lack of support for their gender identity and sexuality.

Charlie Draughn, a 17-year-old high school senior from Chisago City, Minn., who attends a boarding school in Vermont, said he was angry that groups are trying to control his life and turn him into a political pawn.

"My life is not your debate," Draughn said. "It is not a political issue. I am not hurting anyone and I am certainly not hurting myself."

The rallies came as Republican lawmakers nationwide have pursued hundreds of proposals this year to push back on 2SLGBTQ+ rights, particularly those of transgender residents, including banning transgender girls from girls' sports, keeping transgender people from using restrooms in line with their gender identities and requiring schools to deadname transgender students -- mandating they be identified by names they were given at birth.